"He smiled at me. He's onto us! We should get out of here before he has us arrested!" I whispered into Arian's ear.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Uncle Poseidon smiled at you as means of a greeting. Jeez, you suck at being normal," he murmured with a small smile playing at the edge of his mouth. "Let's go get another drink." I took his hand in mine and dragged him to the bar.

The two lady bartenders seemed to have theirs hands full with serving drinks to all the Alphas trying to get into their pants. To think the Alphas had a little more class than this... I hopped onto the other side of the bar and grinned at my mate whose mouth hung wide open.

"What can I get you, sir?" I asked Arian.

"Are you on the menu?" A stout man asked.

The other two bartenders stopped what they were doing and looked at me in shock then looked back at Arian in fear. "No but your 3 inch penis is. How about you apologise before I serve it to you?" I asked in the sweetest way possible.

The two girls giggled along with the ladies that were here waiting for drinks. "How dare you!" he seethed through his yellowed teeth. He reached across the bar but a hand stopped him before he could lay a single finger on me.

"Back off, Francesco. I'll bury you alive if you lay a hand on my mate," Arian hissed.

The Lunas smiled at his possessive behaviour making me blush. Francesco took his hand back immediately and stuttered out an apology before running away with his tail between his legs. Everyone went back to normal and the two bartenders thanked me as I helped them out for a while.

"Women find possessive guys hot," Arian murmured while sipping his drink; possibly trying to seduce me.

I snorted. "Possessive guys don't have friends." He frowned at me and pretended to be offended. The other Alphas were surprised that a king is letting a mere human step all over his ego. "I thought you are my friend, sweetheart. I'm wounded," he said.

"My friendship costs 50 bucks. Double for best friendship," I replied, drowning the sound of the music from under my voice. He raised an eyebrow. "How much for mates?" He questions.

"Please," I waved him off with a laugh. "I'm way out of your league, Ice."

The bartended, whose name I learned was Susan, burst out laughing. Arian glared at her making her shut up. "Are you interested Susan?" He asked.

"I-I uh n-no I mean y-yes. Wait what? No! I mean you're hot and all but... I'll just stop talking!" She ran out.

Arian and I burst out laughing. I noticed the way his eyes twinkle like the stars in the evening sky every time he laughed. The way he bit his tongue and his eyes crinkled. This man really is a fine piece of art.

I turned back to serve the others their drinks and made conversation with few of the people waiting. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a lady approach Arian and indulge in what seems like an interesting conversation with him but I ignored the stabbing feeling in my heart.

It's just my stupid hormones being a bitch as usual.

"Hi, I'm Finn. Alpha of Delevan. I'm trying to make my mate jealous because she insists she doesn't want me. Will you dance with me?" I looked at the Alpha is surprise. That's weird. Alphas don't normally go around sharing intimate details with everyone. I looked at Arian and Lady McInteresting and shrugged.

He was handsome in his own way. Arian was the messy hair and expensive suits kind of man wheres this guy was a slick gelled back hair and costly black leather jackets and boots type. Arian's dangerous aura clashed with Finn's soothing one.

"I'd be honoured."

A song that I hadn't heard before played seductively as I wrapped my arms around the stranger I was dancing with. "What's your opinion on witchcraft?" He asked. He had a mischievous glimmer in his eyes which excited me.

"Do you practice?" I asked.

"Why don't I demonstrate?" He said with a teasing smile. He shifted sides with me so that I was now facing the lady dancing with Arian. I immediately scowled but morphed it into a smile when we made eye contact.

I stared in disbelief. Did she just-

, this time covering her mouth immediately.

I guffawed. Loudly. Arian's eyes snapped to mine instantly asking if I'd done that to which I shook my head innocently. I turned my gaze back to Finn. "I owe you a favour, Alpha," I told him, still unable to contain my happiness.

"Some would call you pety," he said, "I'm just going to call you a lady." I gasped in offence. I'd generally give him the feminist talk but I could see the slight trace of humour in his eyes. "Has your mate fallen for our plan?" I asked.

He smirked. "Let's walk you through my mate's thought process. She's seen me dancing with a gorgeous woman in my arms which will make her think of all the other fish in the sea that will readily attach themselves to my hook. Pun intended. She'll storm off thinking I'll follow her and convice her that she's the only woman I want to be with," he grinned proudly. I continued it for him.

"But being an alpha, of course you'll have a guard follow her."

"Right. When she realises that I'm not following her like a lost puppy and istead flirting with another woman, she'll question my affection towards her. And as you know, the only way to get a woman that hates you to like you, is to stop giving her the attention she wants." He finished with a long sigh at the end.

"You talk an awful lot," I laughed.

"I'm aware." He laughed and then looked at his watch and said, "I had a lovely time today, Alaska Ivanov. I got to make sure my mate hasn't ran off. See you around." I walked towards Arian who was sitting at one of the tables and talking to someone. He immediately excused himself and walked towards me.

"I see those shoes are killing you," he teased.

"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger," I said with a small laugh of my own.

"Come with me."

His words were short but dominating. I didn't seem to mind doing as a said as long as it didn't make me uncomfortable. I slipped my shoes off and sat crosslegged on the leather seat of his Mercedes which smelt like all things rich and luxurious. Arian didn't seem to mind my lack of lady-like behaviour.

"Where are we going?"

"To the stars."

I grinned and rubbed my hands together, trying to keep myself warm. Arian stretched out and pulled his coat from the back seat and covered me with it. It smelt just like him. Rain and roses. I pulled it closer to me and sighed in content.

••••••••••••••••••

Just gazing at the midnight blue canvass above stole every thought from my mind, the usual carousel of worries simply forgotten. There was the heavenly stars above and a crescent moon to smile down; what else was there to know about?

Once gravity had brought my body horizontal to the wet grass the starry night was all I saw, all I cared about, it was as if Vincent Van Gogh himself had returned to paint it. Arian looked to see if the ground was clean enough but when he caught me glaring at him for ruining the poetic moment, he slid next to me quietly.

I laughed.

"Tell me something interesting," I murmured, foolishly trying to count the number of stars.

"Did you know that stars are always created in pairs? They're called Binary stars. They stay close to each other until two other stars come and make them drift apart. Just like us living beings, don't you think?" I looked at him. He had the professor look to him which made me smile fondly.

Smart guys are exactly my type.

I guess I always thought that he'd be more interested in who's the current ruler rather than stars and constellations. "So like soul mates?" I asked after a while of thinking about it. It's nice- knowing that you won't be coming into this cruel world alone.

But sad knowing that your bond with the other person won't last forever.

"Best friends, in my opinion," he murmured, plucking the grass and throwing it nearby. I smiled at that thought. "Who's your best friend?" I asked. I'd seen him be himself only around his two cousins and Kyle and Leo. Is he himself around me?

"Leo and Kyle have been my buddies since we were kids," hw said.

I gave him an annoyed look.

He gave me a defeated look. "Do you remember Parker? Poseidon's right hand man? We went to high school together. All four of us, I mean. We were thick as thieves, people said. His sister Payton started hanging out with us and then she slept with Kyle which led to a big fight between Kyle and Parker and eventually the four of us stopped hanging out."

"Wow," I said, "that sucks. So Kyle isn't Payton's mate?" He shrugged. "They denied being mates when Parker enquired but I feel like that was only half of the story. What about you? An- oh fuck I'm sorry." He cursed and hit his forehead. I smiled sadly.

The missing boy that everyone seems to have forgotten.

"Tell me about the Dark Wizard. Dryden, is it?"

"Some other time, I will. Raven wants us back at the party," he said with an apologetic smile. I nodded and got into his car. He looked at me momentarily before starting the car and driving back. It began to rain which made Arian huff and talk about how much he hates the rain. I gaped at him in disbelief.

"Do you ever use this sunroof or is it just to show off this fancy car of yours?" I teased.

"You, Miss Ivanov are in for one hell of an experience," he looked at me with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he leaned forward and unbuckled my seat belt. I bit my lip as he leaned close to me and then back away. "Go ahead. Stand up, spread your hands and look up at the clouds as they rain tiny droplets of water on you," he cajoled.

I flashed Arian a grin to match his own and got up and pulled open the sunroof and the upper half of my body was greeted my the heavy downpour and rushing wind.

I laughed and put my hands out, reliving the scene from Titanic. Only this time it was better. I had the rain falling onto my face and the love of my life wrapping his free hand around me so that I wouldn't fall.

Arian heard me and laughed in reply but nevertheless kept a firm hold on me. So this is how our entire journey went. Me yelling something silly at the top of my voice to get him to hear me and him yelling back something even sillier. I closed my eyes as I relived a previous memory of Noah and I.

"For the 5th time, COULD YOU PASS THE CHIPS, NOAH?" I screamed irritatedly but refused to get up and fetch the bag of chips myself. Noah laughed and continued reading.

"The quickest way to a woman's heart is through her stomach. So give me 'em fries boy! That's the only way I'll love you!" I laughed. He looked at me with a fond grin and shook his head like he always did whenever I'd say something stupid. His hair splashed along with him.

"False. It's through the fourth and fifty pair of ribs, Ally!" He corrected cockily and turned another page of his boring as hell book. I didn't read it but any book without pictures is boring to me.

"And Ally," he said after a while, "to know if he's the right one, close your eyes and think of your future. If he is in it and it makes you smile, he's the one."

I looked up and the night sky sizzling with lightening and silently thanked the moon goddess. Because Arian was in my future and it made me happier than I'd ever imagine. In that moment, there was one thing that I realised.

My feelings for Arian were an oil spill; I'd let them overflow and now there wasn't a damn place in the ocean that wouldn't catch fire if I drop a match.

"Ah...Arian?" I asked as I shut the sunroof and slid into the seat next to him. He immediately put the heater on and took my cold palm in his relatively warm one.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Does that mean we're in an open relationship?" I bit my lip, dreading the answer. He'd said we could be friends but what is that supposed to mean?

"Fuck no."

His grip on the steering wheel tightened but he took a deep breath and calmed his beast down. I'd never really encountered his vampire side except for the time I realised that he was a vampire.

"So you won't be with another woman either?" I asked, trying to hide the smile on my face.

And then, the ocean burned.

•••••••••••••••••

I sneezed as I pulled off my wet clothes and slipped into black jeans and a light blue silk shirt which belonged to Arian. To tired to find a clean bra, I decided to enjoy the feeling of the expensive silk against my smooth skin.

The boring formal party with the elders had officially come to an end and now the guys were celebrating the bachelor party by the pool side and the ladies had the bachelorette on the terrace.

Arian had immediately gone over to the pool saying that he'd get went anyway so there was no point in changing so he took his swimming trunks and left immediately. He forgot his towel so I headed over to the pool to give it to him so that he wouldn't fall sick.

I smiled thinking of the car ride just minutes ago. "Jamie! Where's Arian?" I asked. She looked around nervously and shrugged. "Definitely not near the pool. You should go the opposite side!" I rolled my eyes at her odd behaviour and continued walking.

All the women were dressed in short dresses or basically any form of revealing clothing which was the opposite of the ones that they were forced to wear daily. The men were umm half naked.

Then I understood what Jamie meant.

Arian lay in one of the pool chairs, shirt unbuttoned and a girl on top of him while he mumbled something and held onto another girl's hand.

If you could date any fictional character in real life, whom would you date?

How many of you have read The Raven Cycle? I swear to god, they're the most amazing books I've come across. You guys have to give it a try!♥️

Don't forget to vote!🙈💕

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